Learning Chinese: How to Say "What is that?" in Chinese
Chinese Characters: 那是什么?
Pinyin: Nà shì shénme?
Pronunciation: na4 shi4 shen2 me5
English Translation: What is that?
Usage:
"那是什么?(Nà shì shénme?)" is a question used to ask about something that you don't know or understand. It can be used in a variety of situations, such as when you see something unfamiliar or when you want to clarify something that someone has said.
Example:
Chinese: 那是什么动物?
Pinyin: Nà shì shénme dòngwù?
English: What is that animal?
Variations:
There are a few variations of "那是什么?(Nà shì shénme?)" that you may hear:
这是什么?(Zhè shì shénme?) - This variation is also commonly used to mean "What is this?"
那是什麼?(Nà shì shénme?) - This variation is used in traditional Chinese (Taiwan and Hong Kong).
Tips for Learning:
Practice saying "那是什么?(Nà shì shénme?)" out loud to improve your pronunciation.
Listen to native Chinese speakers asking "What is that?" to get a sense of the natural rhythm and intonation.
Use "那是什么?(Nà shì shénme?)" in your daily conversations to practice using it in context.
Additional Notes:
"那是什么?(Nà shì shénme?)" is a very common question in Chinese, so it's important to be able to understand and use it.
When asking "What is that?", it's important to use the correct demonstrative pronoun. "那 (nà)" is used to refer to something that is distant from both the speaker and the listener. If the object is close to the speaker, you would use "这 (zhè)" instead.
For example:
Chinese: 那是什么动物?(Nà shì shénme dòngwù?)
English: What is that animal? (animal is far away from both speaker and listener)
Chinese: 这是什么动物?(Zhè shì shénme dòngwù?)
English: What is this animal? (animal is close to the speaker)
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